I Don't Think Players Will Only Play For Money - Sourav Ganguly

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly said no player plays cricket for monetary benefits instead they want to shoot for a glorious career. Indian cricket has seen massive strides when we talk about financial aspects in the newborn era of T20 cricket with the Indian Premier League (IPL) alluring lucrative deals from different corners of the world.

The BCCI on June 14 bagged a whopping INR 48,390 crore (USD 6.20 billion) in the IPL media rights for the next five years (2023-2027). The entire auction process for four packages took place online for more than two days.

International cricket or IPL?

The package for A and B is comprised of 410 games across five seasons with 74 each in the first two years (2023-2024) followed by 84 in the next two seasons (2025-2026) and the IPL 2024 could include 94 matches.

Given the number of games an Indian player is scheduled to play across all formats including the two months of franchise cricket, players are prone to various injuries and they miss out on particular series for the national team.

Players play for the stature they get and the pride of representing India: Sourav Ganguly

India hasn’t won a single ICC tournament since the 2013 Champions Trophy in England, the question is always raised about IPL’s ineffectiveness on players. Even last year when India bowed out from the group stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE, Ravi Shastri, then head coach of the Indian team, said the gap between IPL 2021 and World T20 wasn’t sufficient for the players.

Amid the entire criticism of the preference of IPL, Ganguly said no player will chase money over international achievements.

“First thing first, money can’t be related to performances. From the times of Sunil Gavaskar to Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid, the money was nowhere close to what the players get now. But all of them had the hunger to perform. I don’t think players will only play for the money. Players play for the stature they get and the pride of representing India. Every player would want to win big international tournaments,” Ganguly told the Times of India. 

India will play the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia later this year in the October-November period. Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid will be at the helm of the team management and selection affairs for the showpiece event.

Also Read: We Want The IPL To Move Back To Home And Away Format From Next Season: Sourav Ganguly